Don't lose hope
by Criminal-Dawn
Summary: "Will you save her before I kill her Detective Flack?" he asked as the camera focused on the woman on the bed. "You and I both know she doesn't have much time…" and with that he moved around and sent the link to Flack's email. Rating for violence/smut
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own CM or CSI: NY. I wish I did… oh the things I would do to Don Flack or Derek Morgan.  
**Rating: **M (just in case. I'm paranoid LOL)  
**Pairing: **Not sure yet.  
**Genre: **Romance, Friendship, Case-centered fic for the first few chapters.  
**Warnings: **Set during season 6 of Criminal Minds and Season 7 of CSI: NY. Soilers to "The Internet is forever"  
**Summary:** A serial killer is on the loose in NY and Jo uses her FBI connections to recruit our favorite Technical Analyst along with our favorite profilers.

* * *

**October 2, 2010  
Unknown location  
Manhattan, New York  
6:53 a.m**

He stood at the windowsill of his Manhattan apartment as the sun was beginning to rise behind the skyscrapers that adorned his beautiful city. He took a sip of his coffer and looked over at the sleeping woman tied to his bed. He smirked as he walked over to have a seat at the bedside where he ran a finger down her bloodstained cheek.

"So beautiful," he whispered as her eyes began to flutter open and when her eyes met his he smiled down at her. "How are you?" he asked but the gag that was around her head kept her from talking. She began to squirm around, moaning and groaning and his dick got hard at the sight. "No one can hear you doll," he told her as he back handed her knocking her out again. He hated doing that but the headache she was giving him was too much and he didn't need to hear her attempting to scream.

She was his tenth beauty, all the others wouldn't follow directions, they were bad, sinful but this one… this one seemed perfect! He knew that she was the one. He stood up and went over to his dresser and grabbed his camcorder. He trained the camera on her and waited until the ding of his computer told him he was streaming live. He placed the camera down on the tri-pod as he grabbed his black ski mask and put it over his face. He stood directly in front of the camera.

"Will you save her before I kill her Detective Flack?" he asked with a chuckle as he turned the camera on the knocked out woman on the bed. "You and I both know she doesn't have much time…" and with that he moved around and sent the link to Flack's email. He had his computer system skillfully setting his internet to come from wireless internet around the city and more than several proxy servers to where no one could find him. He was untraceable. Unbeatable.

He heard soft sobbing coming from the bed and when he looked over the woman was crying. He rushed to her side and caressed her face. Her flinch angered him but he knew she didn't know better. He would train her, and if she didn't learn… he'll have to get rid of her. They just never learned.

"Are you ready to be a good girl now? I'll take it off," he said as he tugged at the gag, "but if you scream I'll kill you." He took it off and a small whimper left her lips but she remained quite. Her compliance pleased him and he grabbed the wet rag that he had ready at the bedside table and cleaned off the blood on her face.

"Who are you?" she whimpered as he ran his finger down her face.

"Your master," he replied as he smiled down at her with a wild look on his face.

**Don Flack's Apartment  
7:15 a.m**

"You've gotta be kiddin' me!" he exclaimed as her punched the wall next to his desk looking down at the streaming video that was showing the sick son of a bitch caressing the latest victim. They had nothing, only what the bastard wanted to give them which was mainly streaming video which was lost once he signed off and when they tried to track him by that they were astounded to see that he used multiple proxy servers that none of their analyst's could track.

"Be a good girl and tell Detective Flack to come save you baby," the bastard told the woman he held captive. The young lady looked over at the camera and sniffled.

"Please Detective Flack, come save me" she spoke into the camera but her eyes spoke directly to him. With her words the connection was lost.

"Shit man!" he muttered with frustration as he reached for his cell phone to call Mac Taylor. "Mac, get Jo to call her favor into the FBI. He sent me another one... Right... I'm on my way over to the lab with my lap top although I doubt the bastard left anything behind," he told his coworker and grabbed his laptop and headed out the door.

**Labs  
7:45 a.m**

"Erin, good morning," Jo said as she saw Mac and Flack enter her office. "I need a favor actually," she told the woman on the other line. Having worked for the FBI gave her good connections one she needed now which was the BAU. Aaron Hotchners team was among the best and their technical analyst Penelope Garcia would be essential in this investigation.

"Please tell Agent Hotchner that we'll need Garcia with them on site for this one," she told Strauss before saying goodbye. The two men who had by now taken a seat across from her had a grim look on their face.

"The BAU team is among the best. If anyone can lend us a hand is them. Their analyst is… well the FBI recruited her since she is among the few hackers that are extremely useful or dangerous. Our motto is keep your friends close. Your enemies closer," she joked with the men.

"They considered her a threat?" Flack asked with interest.

"There are only a handful of hackers that have made the list. She was offered a position with the FBI or prison," she shared with the men when the shuffling of Adam came from the doorway.

"This girl sounds phenomenal," he gushed as he came further into the room. Flack chuckled and Mac smiled slightly. "I found what seems to be an embedded code in the email that was sent to Flack, but it was left there as a signature nothing that can help us trace him," their lab rat told them. "Only problem is… I don't know how to uncode it. I'm good at some computer stuff but not this. This is way out of my league."

Flack looked over at Jo and smirked "if your girl is as good as you say… we have the key to solving the case."

**BAU headquarters  
Quantico, VA  
9:00 a.m**

"Office of the all knowing. How may I be of assistance?" she answered hoping it wasn't a bad case this time around. _Who are you kidding Garci? They're always bad cases_ she told herself as she heard a few chuckles coming from the other end.

"Penelope Garcia. Long time no talk darling," Josephine Danville quirked from the other end of the line.

"Jose-fine!" Penelope said chuckling as she leaned back on her chair. "Long time no talk is right! How's our New York's finest treating you doll-face? Do I need to erase any of them?" she joked and in the background she heard a deep chuckle "I sure hope not" he said and Penelope's eyebrow quirked.

"Joey, you know I charge more for groups!" she joked once more and this time there were several chuckles at the same time.

"You're on speaker darling," Jo told her as if on warning making Penelope chuckle more.

"I know. Good morning strangers! How can I be of assistance this fine morning?" she asked as she twirled the pen on her fingers.

"We sent you an email with an embedded code attached to it. Codes aren't my forte-" the stranger mumbled shyly as she went away on her computer pulling up the email he was talking about while someone else in the background said "What he is trying to say is work your skills for us … please?" His voice was sexy with an accent to it.

"For you? Anything" she told him as she decoded what was in the email.

"What is this? Amature hour over there?" she asked as the code was easily broken and she gasped at what she saw. "What kind of sick joke is this Jo?" she asked as she saw the woman on the bed squirming around when suddenly a masked man came into view on her screen.

"Well hello there lovely," he said as he touched the screen of his computer as if to simulate touching her.

"What do you see Ms. Garcia?" the same deep voice who asked her to work her skills for them.

"A man in a ski mask" she whispered.

"Oh lovely… don't let someone else ruin our moment, but why don't you tell Detective Flack over there that he is lucky he found this so quickly. I knew Adam couldn't break it. Seems like he has an angle in you lovely," the man told her and she stared into the strangers eyes with a sickening feeling in her stomach.

"Detective Flack? The man asked me to tell you that you are lucky for finding this so quickly," she told the person on the other line. There was cursing and what seemed to be something being thrown.

"cut the connection Ms. Garcia. Now," someone on the other line ordered her which she did right away.

"Can someone fill me in on what's going on?" she asked as her heart was pounding away when her door opened.

"I will on our way to the landing strip," Chief Strauss told her as she came in.

She said her goodbye's to Jo and Chief Strauss ushered her out. "The NYPD's crime lab has a station set up for you. They need your assistance and you just need to grab your go-bag. We're leaving immediately."

Penelope was concerned but did as she was told, grabbing her go-bag from the closet in her office and her purse. Chief Strauss had a black SUV waiting for them at the entrance ready to take them to the landing strip.

"The NYPD has a serial killer, Agent Hotchner's team has been appointed to it after they wrap up the case they are on now. But they need your assistance with the technical aspect to this case. You are acquainted with Jo Danville, she is one of the head investigator's on this case. Along with Mac Taylor, Detective Don Flack, and others who you will meet. You saw what this unsub is capable of … the woman on the video is his tenth victim and although we should have been called in months ago the lead detective was being uncooperative. But Jo was worked her way in and convinced them to let us help out," Erin Strauss told her as the SUV came to a stop at the landing strip. "I'll be briefing the team when they get back, Mac Taylor and Jo will pick you up at the airport."

Garcia didn't get a word in as the driver came to her side and opened the door for her ushering her out.

"Garcia…" the older woman trailed "be careful."

Penelope nodded and walked away towards the jet. "What did I get myself into?" she asked herself as she got in and sat back for the short flight to NY.

**NY airport  
1:00 p.m**

Mac and Jo where standing outside of the SUV waiting for Penelope to emerge from the jet. "The FBI likes to travel in style," Mac observed to which Jo just rolled her eyes teasingly as the Jet's door opened and the staircase lowered into a walk-way. Out came a voluptuous red head in a yellow dress with a flower in her hair.

"She's the geek?" Mac said in disbelief as the woman strode over to where they stood. Jo walked to her and engulfed her in a hug.

"I wish the circumstances were different but it's nice to see you Penny," Jo told her and the woman smiled up at his co-worker and then looked over at him.

"You must be Mac Taylor?" she asked tentatively to which he smiled.

"Call me Mac," he told her as he opened the door for her and ran around to the driver door and slipped in as Jo took her place in the passenger seat.

"Sorry I freaked out on the phone earlier. I just wasn't expecting that…" she told them as she fidgeted with the beaded necklace that adorned her neck. "Lucky for you, we just got done with a similar case a few months ago. I developed software that can track streaming video being bounced off of dozen proxy servers by eliminating the decoy servers he used but since your guy seems to be so manipulative and organized I would bet he used the same hacker signature in every hack. I need all your files on this guy. Any video feed you guys have," she said as was staring off into the landscape as they were coming up to the city. "Oh my God, I just sounded like Hotch" she murmured.

Jo turned around to face Penelope and grinned at her friend, "You'll fit right in Garcia."

* * *

**A/N:** I am not familiar with CSI: NY so I don't know who is a detective or just a CSI… So if I made any mistakes… please let me know. Also… all the computer talk? It's all me BSing or going over the episode "The Internet is Forever" and hearing terms and compiling them together. I hope ya'll like it. Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own CM or CSI: NY. I wish I did… oh the things I would do to Don Flack or Derek Morgan.  
**Rating: **M (just in case. I'm paranoid LOL)  
**Pairing: **Not sure yet.  
**Genre: **Romance, Friendship, Case-centered fic for the first few chapters with a bit of characters friendship.  
**Warnings: **Set during season 6 of Criminal Minds and Season 7 of CSI: NY.  
**Summary:** A serial killer is on the loose in NY and Jo uses her FBI connections to recruit our favorite Technical Analyst along with our favorite profilers.

* * *

**CSI Labs  
1:30 p.m**

Penelope and Jo were walking down the hallway of the lab and she felt like she needed a tour but she reminded herself of the young lady that was tied to the bed and any need she thought she had vanished. Jo was walking her down to their laboratory technician's lair and when she walked in she was green with envy. "Bitching set up Jo," she told her friend as a younger looking man walks over with a smile.

"You must be Ms. Garcia?" the young man said as he came up to her with his arm extended. She smiled at him and shook his hand. "If you tell me your head honcho in this lab … I will have to ask you to allow me to be your humble servant," she said chuckling as she looked around at the awesome equipment.

"Nope, just the lab tech," he said with a slight blush as he walked towards a room that had various computer screens set up. "Here's what we set up for you. If there's anything I can do to help… you let me know."

"Can you get me all of the video files, all the emails the unsub sent to your detective," she said as she walked towards the computers and sat down and started up the system and grabbed her go bag and took out the computer she carries with her with the software that would be helpful for this team.

"Unsub?" the lab tech asked as he stood next to her and pulled up the emails and files they had on this case. The emails had been worked on but she noticed a few things she could do just from the notes that were written on the file. The emails themselves were a perfect way to get the guy but seeing as after the techs here at the NYPD lab couldn't trace it she couldn't help herself but see if she could find something herself.

"Unknown suspect Adam," a deep voice she recognized as one of the men that had been on the phone when Jo called her earlier that morning. She swiveled around in her seat and looked up to the man in an expensive looking suit and was taken back by the handsome vision that stood before her. _Well hello New York's finest!_ she thought as she smiled at him.

"Well I didn't know we got a new agent," she said as she extended her arm out and he smiled at her with a thousand watt smile and his eyes crinkled at the same time. _My oh my Hello Mr. GQ_ she thought as he shook her hand.

"Just an NYPD detective mam," he told her with that accent she found irresistible.

"Call me Penelope, or technical analyst queen" she said as she swiveled back around and started working on the emails pulling them all up at the same time. She uploaded the software she developed and began working on the various emails and noted that they were all signed with the same signature. _Master49_

"I can't tell you what his legal name is but with his online signature I can trace him anytime he begins to upload something new. When I get the proxy servers he used before I can trace him down and get his location," she told them as she began to bring up the different proxy channels this sick unsub used.

"That would mean the woman he has now will be dead," the NYPD detective told her. She felt a sickening feeling in her stomach as she looked over to where he stood.

"I'm sorry … it's the best I can do. This sicko is good with hiding his whereabouts. I wish I could do more sir," she told him sincerely. The same eyes that had crinkled when he smiled now looked empty.

"I understand… it's just… this latest victim…" he trailed but she knew what he was talking about. The woman had asked him directly to save her. The small lab was slowly but surely getting crowded as more people walked in as she went away on her computer. Jo being the wonderful liaison between Penelope and her new team she began to introduce her to the people that walked in.

"Lindsay Monroe, Danny Messer meet Penelope-" but Jo couldn't finish her sentence when Penelope's system began to ring alerting her of one of the channels that had once been used.

"He's uploading something now, let me …" she bit her lip as she furiously began to type away trying to track down the bastard. "The track is in NY now, he won't know what hit him!" she squealed as the 5 detectives and CSI's crowded around her when suddenly the man in a ski mask appeared. "You are good but I figured you would be. The only way you'll get me now is if you find me… I hope you can get to my house before she dies," he said as she turned to the team.

"I have a physical address, I'll send it to your PDA… just go!" she ordered them as she the address appeared and she quickly sent it to the whole team since she didn't know who the lead was. She realized that only Adam and herself were left in the lab when the man was still on the camera.

"You are good at following orders Penelope Marie Garcia," the masked man told her as he began to walk out of the room. "I'll leave her alive… as a favor to you. Fret not pretty… I'll be seeing you again," and with that he ran out of the house leaving her to stare into the room where the woman was laying unconscious it seemed. She called for a bus to meet the team at the site to get the woman as soon as possible. The fear of the man's words vanished when she saw the handsome detective rush in to the apartment minutes later.

"I can barely feel her heart beat! Where's the damn bus!" he screamed as he undid the knots that confined the woman to the bed. Her hands fell limply to the bed and Penelope felt tears in her eyes as the woman looked dead.

"I called a bus in sir, they should arrive there shortly," she said right as the paramedics showed up and the detective moving out of their way.

"Thank you, now that we know who the man is we can finally catch him. Did he tell you anything before he left?" he asked her as she saw him putting on gloves to begin looking for evidence.

"That he'll leave her alive as a favor to me… and that he'll see me again," she told him as she felt Adam's intense stare.

"Penelope, did you go to Caltech?" the detective asked her and her eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"I dropped out a year in, why do you ask?" she asked him as the detective began to look over the contents on the unsubs desk in quite a hurry.

"Penelope, you are not to leave the labs for any reason!" the detective told her as he got on his cell phone and began barking orders over the phone.

"What's going on Detective?" she asked with worry filling her being as the detective held up a picture of her entering the NYPD labs and words written on the paper, SHE'S NEXT.

She slumped back on the seat she was in and she realized the magnitude of what this meant. _The unsub was after her now_.

"Oh my God," she whispered when the detective came into the screen. "Hey… look at me…" he coerced her. She looked up to meet his blue eyes, "nothing is going to happen to you," he told her. "I need to turn this off now. We'll all be back shortly, Jo was just called and you're team should be there within a few hours as well. We'll get him okay Pen?" he told her with a nickname already.

"Yes Mr. New York Finest who I don't even know you're name," she teased as she felt a little more at ease.

"Don Flack at your service mam," he told her with a wink as he shut down the camera and she closed down that window.

**Unknown location  
6:13 pm**

Her beautiful face haunted his every thought. Her ruby lips beckoned him and it took every ounce of control not to try to grab her while she was at the lab building. He had to be patient, but she seemed perfect, even more so than the one he left for them when she tracked him down. He was obsessed with her. The way she told the detective what he asked her to say without questions. He knew she would be the one so he chose to finally give himself away in order to get her. When he did have her he would run away with her where they wouldn't be able to find them. Penelope Marie Garcia would be his if he died trying.

**NYPD's labs  
6:23 pm**

Detective Flack and Penelope were working on the computer aspect while the others were running evidence left at the crime scene.

"Well, you make that look so easy," the blue eyed dreamy detective told her with a teasing smile on his lips.

"I am just that good detective, but this cannot be done by just anyone," she teased right back as she looked up at him with a matching smile on her lips. "So how's Amanda?" she asked him sobering right at the thought of her name.

"Broken bones, concussion, he drugged her but still beat her to the brink of death," Don told her with a scowl on his face. She placed her hand over his and gave him a gentle squeeze.

"You saved her Donnie," she said using a nickname which brought a smile to his face.

"I haven't been called that in a while," he said with a hint of longing in his voice that made her want to ask more but from the corner of her eye she saw her team had arrived. She was never on the receiving end of the investigation where she saw the BAU team coming in to investigate they looked pretty imposing and powerful but they missed a certain blond that made Penelope sad by just the sight of her incomplete team.

"My team is here, I'm sure they'll want to know anything else you have on this guy," she told him standing up. He reached over and grabbed her wrist.

"Pen, that's why I'm here, I haven't found the right words to say this. I know you saw the picture of you but… there was more," he told her which sent goose bumps down her spine.

"Where is she?" she heard Aaron say in a "don't question me" voice. "I did not authorize this Agent Danville, and I don't appreciate you overstepping protocol. Now if the unsub has her after being found he is surely panicked and his movement won't be predictable and it will be nearly impossible to find her!" Aaron fumed making Penelope blush in embarrassment. She knew that the team guarded her profusely but Aaron was going beyond a worried coworker. There was a sound to his voice that made her want to show herself to him to stop the direction it was going but suddenly Reid and Morgan were both screaming directions and finally she had to step in to greet her knights in shining armor.

"Well we need to catch this guy before he gets me then right team?" she asked as she and Flack walked out of the lab she had things set up at.

"Jo, was that really necessary?" Aaron asked their former co-worker as Reid, Morgan, Emily and Rossi walked over to where Penelope stood. Jo crossed her arms across her chest with a smirk on her lips, "It's nice to see you too Aaron."

When her team reached her Emily reached out and squeezed her upper arm and Derek came to her side and said "Baby girl, you are not allowed to go on a case without us ever again."

"You are a sight for sore eyes Garcia, but we have a guy to catch who is on the run," Rossi said as he and Hotch followed Jo who had set up a timeline of the victims in a conference room.

The team walked towards the conference room and she was going to follow them but Don reached out and took her hand. "Pen, this guy is fixated on you. In the hours from when he saw you the first time until we saw him on that last video tape and … he had a lot on you. Just prepare yourself for me darling," he told her as his thumb caressed her hand. Her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat; not because of the potential threat on her life, she knew that her team and the NY team would protect her, but because the proximity of this handsome drink of water before her. He reminded her of Battle with his handsome clean cut looks and clear blue eyes but his sweet personality and heart on his sleeve didn't make bells and whistles go off in her head. She felt safe around him.

"If there's one thing I know about my team is that they get the sicko's and in the last few hours I've seen your determination and I know that you won't stop until this guy is behind bars. So yeah… will I freak out when I see whatever he pulled out on me? Sure. But I know that he will slip up and we will catch him. So thanks for preparing me for it … but I know the guy won't get to me" she told the detective confidently with an undertone of fear.

As they trailed in behind everyone, who were now done making introductions, Mac Taylor was showing the time line of the victims this guy chose. Young white women between the ages of 25 and 35 all beautiful in their own way. At the end was a picture of herself, one that the unsub took outside of the NYPD labs earlier that day.

"Well at least he got my good side," she attempted to joke as she took a seat in between Derek Morgan and Danny Messer who was going over some pictures but took a second to look over at her and give her an annoyed look.

"Let's try to keep him from taking you away from your teams side… they're a bit scary when you are in any trouble," Messer leaned over and joked making Penelope smile despite the tension in the room.

"You haven't seen them without their coffee," she dramatically whispered with a giggle.

"We know that he likes to control them," detective Flack said as he began to read off his notepad. "In every victim he has left a note Didn't follow orders. Now with Amanda, our latest victim, he didn't leave anything but he told Penelope he would leave her alive as a favor to her and that he would see her soon. As you can see he has done some extensive background check on our Penelope here and all seems to point that he is after Penelope herself. We have nothing on him that can lead us to him. The house was abandoned, and the internet connection was used from neighbors around the home. We have lifted several prints and are trying to get a match on them so we're waiting on that. What we have is what he wants…" Don Flack said with a pained look on his face.

"Penelope, we have her… it's a matter of time before he tries to get her," Lindsay Monroe-Messer said and the room exploded in disagreement.

* * *

**A/N:**

Thanks for letting me know if the terminology and the characters were okay.

Will Penelope be bait? How will the team react?


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own CM or CSI: NY. I wish I did… oh the things I would do to Don Flack or Derek Morgan.  
**Rating: **M (just in case. I'm paranoid LOL)  
**Pairing: **Not sure yet.  
**Genre: **Romance, Friendship, Case-centered fic for the first few chapters with a bit of characters friendship.  
**Warnings: **Set during season 6 of Criminal Minds and Season 7 of CSI: NY.  
**Summary:** A serial killer is on the loose in NY and Jo uses her FBI connections to recruit our favorite Technical Analyst along with our favorite profilers.

* * *

**Don Flack's Apartment  
10:47 p.m**

Penelope walked behind the handsome detective as she held her go bag in one hand and a Starbucks hot chocolate in the other. "Agent Morgan was less than happy to see you walk out with me tonight," Don stated as he slipped his key into the key hole and pushed the door open. She let out a chuckle as he held the door open for her, allowing her to walk past him and into his home.

"That's an understatement if I ever heard one," she said as she dropped her go bag by the table in the hallway.

**Flashback  
**_**NYPD Labs  
8:09 p.m**_

"_Penelope, we have her… it's a matter of time before he tries to get her," Lindsay Monroe-Messer said and the room exploded. _

"_That's too much of a risk," Mac Taylor stated with a bit of apprehension in his voice._

"_It could lure him out," Reid's reasonable voice chimed in. _

"_I agree with Mac… it's too much of a risk," Emily's words rang true to everyone's ears._

"_I want to do it," Penelope said as she looked around her team's faces. _

"_No way!" Derek said pounding his fist on the table making both teams stare at him. _

"_She'll be with Detective Flack at all times," Jo said trying to ease the fact that she would be bait for a serial killer. _

"_Hell no, if we do this, she'll be safer with on of our team," Agent Morgan stated as he ran a hand over his bald head. _

"_This man has created a bond with Detective Flack, he has been watching him. The unsub see's him as the man in charge. If we want him to come out of the woodwork we have to give him what he wants with someone he is comfortable with," Agent Rossi countered. _

_The bald-headed man stood up knocking the chair over and paced the conference room back and forth. "We don't even know what he is capable of! We have nothing on him and you want us to let one of our own out there to be his next victim?" he asked the entire room but the question was directed at the leader of the FBI team. _

"_It's our only chance at catching this guy Morgan. Penelope, you'll be staying under Detective Flack's supervision. His home and surrounding area will be monitored twenty-four seven and if this unsub does manage to get within feet of you we will get him," the stoic leader told the redhead with a curt nod making her automatically fly out of her seat. As she walked away from the table she felt a hand rest on her lower-back. When she looked up she was met with the blue eyes she came to admire, "No worries, I'll protect you like one of my own."_

_His statement didn't make the butterflies of nervousness or fears in her stomach disappear, but she was able to let a breath of air she didn't know she was holding escape her lips. _

"_I trust you Detective," she whispered as they both slipped out the door of the conference room. _

"_but I don't baby girl," came Morgan's cold voice from behind them once they were outside in the hallway. "Anything happens to her Detective and this unsub will be the last of your worries," the agent practically growled._

"_Derek!" the redhead shirked as she fixed her glare on the man who held her heart for the longest time. "Don is a superb Detective; dedicated to his job and his co-workers. You would know that if you would get your head out of your ass. I want to do this and I trust him and the NYPD team to watch my back when we bring this guy down! Now if you're going to be so closed-minded and arrogant do us all a favor and go back to Quantico," she seethed as she turned on her heel and walked away with Flack right behind her. _

**End of Flashback**

"He's like…" she wanted to say big brother but she never flirted the way she did with her real brothers or thought of them in the way she did of her chocolate Adonis. "He's like my best friend," she finished as she came to a halt taking in the surroundings and Don walked past her into the kitchen. He walked up to the refrigerator and just stood there.

"He's right you know… we don't know what this son of a bitch is capable of to get what he wants. We never figured that out," he said as he finally opened the refrigerator door taking two cans of Pepsi and brought one over to Penelope and then moved to take a seat at the kitchen table.

"But Lindsay was right, we know he is fixated on me now… so it's a matter of time before he tries to get me," she told him trying to back up the theory of his team. "I know it's not the best idea to dangle myself as bait but there are ten families and victims out there that deserved justice for their loss. I'm willing to do anything in order to make that happen," she said seriously and to lighten the mood she added, "Plus … I'd love to see you come in as my knight in shining armor," she teased to which he responded with a very sexy smirk and she noticed the way his eyes crinkled with amusement every time he smiled along with dimples.

She took a seat across from him on the kitchen table and opened the can up, "so what's the plan? Do I get a tracking device on me? Let me go … see if I get tracked down?" she asked in a joking manner but seriously wondering what the plan would be. He took a drink from the can and the silence that surrounded them was one of comfort but a tension was underlined.

"It just doesn't feel right …" he said after he stood up running his fingers in his hair. "You shouldn't put yourself in danger because I can't do my job…" she went to answer him give him some sort of comfort but she was cut off by noise from down the hall way.

"I knew you would be perfect… so eager to take orders," the masked man said as he came into view with a gun pointed at them, mainly at Don. "Detective Flack, I'll take her off your hands now," he told Don as he went for his gun but the unsub pointed the gun at Penelope, "uh uh uh …" the unsub taunted, "you keep your gun in the holster or I shoot her." With that Don had no choice but to move his hand away from the gun.

"You don't even have the fucking balls to show your face?" Don taunted and Penelope knew that he was not doing the right thing when the man with the mask shot the gun out the window making Penelope jump up and go to Don's side.

"You think I'm scared of you detective?" the man asked as he walked towards them and Penelope shielded herself behind Flack. "No no no darling… I'm here now. Remember I told you you'd see me again?" he told Penelope then his voice got higher, "and you pick him over me? No! FUCK NO!" he started screaming as the sound of sirens was heard coming from the street. "Get over here Penelope… now," he ordered and she immediately did what he asked since she saw what he did to those girls who wouldn't do what he said.

"Okay … I'll do what you want… master," she told him testing the waters knowing that was what he liked to hear. His eyes lit up behind the mask as he pointed the gun down and walked towards her. She came up behind Don and whispered in his ear, "I trust you …" When he stood in her way drawing the time out hoping those sirens were in response to the situation at Don's apartment she side stepped him and kept walking forward.

"I knew you were perfect… not like the others," he kept chanting as he watched her walk towards him. "Leave your cell phone, anything that will remind you of these people. You and I will be great," he told her and she nodded as a shiver ran all over her body. The distinct noise of pounding footsteps coming up the steps was heard and her heart rate speed up. The man's eyes went wild as he shook his head.

"No no no…" he ranted as he looked around for a way out. Out the window the lights of the helicopter could be seen, out the door he had officers waiting. He had no way out. "If I can't have you…" he said as his gun pointed at her and then pulled the trigger hitting his mark but not before Don grabbed his gun and shot the man right in the chest. "No one else can," he said as he fell to his knees and landed on his face. Morgan broke down the door with his gun aimed. It was too late; although the man was now dead, he had hit his target who now lay on the kitchen floor holding her shoulder making the detective rush over to her ripping off his shirt.

"Detective, you have officially made it up to my number 2 but I didn't know I had to die to get your shirt off," she whispered as her eyes closed and she heard Don scream that they were _over here_.

He held his shirt over her wound applying pressure as he said, "Oh no sweetheart, you are not dying on me. I need an opportunity to weave my way in to number one. Come on Pen, open up those beautiful eyes," he insisted with his piercing blue eyes on hers once she was able to open her eyes.

"I told you we would get him," she whispered as she struggled to keep her eyes open. She heard Derek in the back ground. Saw the paramedics hovering above her which made her recall the last time she was in such dire situation. She couldn't hear the words that were said, it was all slow motion for her, but she knew that she would pull through. She had to.

**Hospital  
3:43 a.m**

Jo and Mac were seated in the waiting chairs as well as Hotchner, Emily, Reid and Rossi. Derek and Don were standing near the surgery door with a solemn look on their face.

"Penelope Garcia?" the doctor asked and everyone came to crowd around the doctor.

"Yes?" Aaron Hotchner said as the man smiled at him.

"She did great. The bullet went clean through, no major arteries were hit, I expect an immediate recovery," the news made everyone smile and let out a deep breath. "She wants to speak with Detective Flack. She is a little off because of the anesthesia but she insisted on speaking to you," the doctor told the younger man.

"Don, how about you stay here with her while we go clean up the crime scene and get this case sealed," Mac told his subordinate as they all got ready to go. Aaron Hotchner made his team leave, "direct orders," he said and they would come in the morning.

Detective Flack didn't stick around to see who would fight their boss's orders but he followed the doctor to Penelope's room.

"She's still affected by the anesthesia so whatever she says may not be coherent but she was becoming agitated when we told her she couldn't have visitors. She demanded to see you… You must be important," the doctor said as he walked out before Don could answer.

"Hey techy," he teased with the smirk he noticed she liked.

"Detective… and you said you couldn't do you job. We got the guy see…? I told you" she murmured as she eyes would close but flutter open as if she was trying to fight off the sleep.

"You did. Now… how about you rest Pen? You need it," he told her as he took a seat next to her.

When he rested his arm on the side of her bed she reached out and grasped his hand in her's. "I feel safe with you by my side… can you… can you stay?" she whispered and once she had a grip on his hand she didn't let go but fell asleep.

He looked at her sleep peacefully when the door creaked open. Flack looked over his shoulder to see the African-American agent come in with a look of despair on his face.

"How's she doing?" he asked as he took a seat on her other side.

"She just fell asleep," the detective told the FBI Agent.

"She's been shot twice because of an unsub, and each time I could do nothing to protect her," he murmured to no one in particular as he looked down at his "baby girl" with love and regret in his eyes.

"She's alive Agent Morgan, there's no more we could ask for," the blue-eyed detective said as if to comfort him.

"Why didn't you shoot him first Detective?" the agent asked with anger in his words.

"When I reached for my gun he aimed his gun at her, what did you expect me to do? I retreated my hand from my gun so he wouldn't shoot her. But when he noticed he was trapped he lost it. If he couldn't have her no one could. That's when I reached for my gun and took my shot but not before he got her on her shoulder," he rubbed her hand and looked down on her face glad she was alive and the bastard who killed ten women was dead.

"She is very brave," Don added without looking up at the agent who walked out slamming the door behind him waking up his sleeping beauty.

"Who was that?" she asked groggily.

He reached over and stroked her cheek, "no one sweetheart… go to sleep. I'm right here," he told her with a smile.

* * *

**A/N:**

Why did Derek get so angry?

Hhhhmmm…


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own CM or CSI: NY. I wish I did… oh the things I would do to Don Flack or Derek Morgan. Nor do I own any rights to the song "Brave" by Tawgs Salter.  
**Rating: **M (just in case. I'm paranoid LOL)  
**Pairing: **Flack/Garcia  
**Genre: **Romance, Friendship, Case-centered fic for the first few chapters with a bit of characters friendship. NOW RELATIONSHIP-CENTERED!  
**Warnings: **Set during season 6 of Criminal Minds and Season 7 of CSI: NY. Set after "Do not pass go" of CSI: NY.  
**Summary: **Now that the jerk of the unsub is dead, Penelope is safe thanks to the hunk of a detective… we must explore their relationship and the relationship between her and Morgan.

* * *

**Courage**

**October 9, 2010  
Chief Strauss' Office  
9:03 p.m**

"She's taking time off Agent Morgan, she deserves it," Chief Strauss told him. He clenched his jaw and his hands fisted.

"When is she getting back?" he asked her.

"She chose to stay in New York…" the older woman told him and he knew that he had to go for her. Tell her how he felt for her. He missed his chance last time he almost lost her because he wanted to let her be happy with Lynch, but this time he wouldn't stand aside. He was going to go and tell her he loved her.

With that he walked out of her office and went straight to Hotch's. He practically stormed in and when Hotch looked up from his paperwork he gave him a small smile.

"You have a day's leave for personal matters. Best of luck Morgan," Hotch told him and Morgan didn't stop to ponder how the man knew. He just walked out, went to his desk and grabbed his go-bag.

October 10, 2010  
Cemetary  
9:16 am

_**I think I'll be brave starting with you** but I'll fall away if you tell me to I'd rather be wrong then hope that I'm right Cuz I can't go on with this all inside. I think I'll be brave and say how I've wanted you. Going around inside my head trying to talk me out of it so lonely too lonely if there's a possibility you'd turn around and run away with me I need to… to show you before it fades._

After the last case where they actually found the kid alive through some sort of miracle he came to see his first real love; the woman he would have given his life for. As he walked across the cemetery his heart constricted at the thought of the last time he saw her; laying on the slab with her lips blue. "I miss you so much Jess," he whispered once he reached her tombstone. He stood in front of it, his hands behind his back remembering holding her in his arms as she bled out taking her to the car to take her to the hospital and then standing in the hospital waiting room when the surgeon came out devastating his whole world. The same feeling came over him that night when they waited for Penelope's surgeon to come out. "You would have liked her Jess… she's something else" he whispered as tears stung his eyes behind the black sunglasses.

When Penelope was shot he was able to do something, kill the bastard then and there, only this time by God's grace he was able to keep the woman in question alive. He planned on keeping her around because with her he felt alive. "I never thought I would feel what I felt for you again Jess… I need to see where this can go…" he said hoping him moving on would be okay. He knew that the progression of whatever he and Pen had was a rapid one but he wasn't looking for a relationship; much less love, but it just hit him like a ton of bricks. He couldn't let go of this. He knew Jess would have wanted him to love again. Penelope was a feisty woman, one he wanted to get to know, and when he kneeled down and placed the flowers near her tombstone he made a choice.

He would start living again and take a chance with Penelope Garcia.

"I love you Jess… " he told her as he stood up and pulled the tie of his suit because it felt like it was suffocating him. He lowered his head and gave a silent prayer, and began walking away. Just then his phone rang and when he looked down it was a number he recognized, "Hey techy, how you feeling?" he teased as he reached in his suit pocket and took out his keys and unlocked his SUV.

"Well I am out of the hospital… you would think they wanted to keep me here!" she exaggerated making him chuckle "but I am actually headed to my hotel room for a week's paid vacation here in the big apple! And I am in need of a tour guide… do you know anyone who could help me?" the little vixen asked in her coy little voice.

"Pen, you're staying here on your week off?" he asked taken back with a smile on his lips. He heard her chuckle as he slipped inside the driver seat and turned on his vehicle.

"You think Adam will have time to show me around?" she asked not answering his question.

"I think I may have time for a pretty lady only if said pretty lady would do me the honor of staying at my place for the week. I can't have you staying at some hotel," he told her as he drove out of the cemetery and towards the station. After the case with the two boys who one was killed and the other nearly killed by a vengeful woman he needed a break from cases.

"On one condition…" she whispered.

"Anything for you Miss Gracia," he chuckles.

"Will you cook Italian and have movie night with me every night," she told him with apprehension in her voice.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Is your team gone already?" he asked her.

"They left yesterday morning," she informed him as he heard someone tell her that her taxi was waiting for her. "Here's the deal, I need to go shower and all the fun stuff. So you go work or whatever and I'll call you when I am ready. If you're not on a case then you can pick me up," she babbled adorably.

"After this last case, I'm asking for some time off Miss Gracia, and I'm all yours once you're ready for me," he teased.

"Oh mon cher… promises promises…" she said with a giggle as he heard her struggled as it seemed she got in the taxi. She gave the taxi driver the address to her hotel room and returned her focus on him. "So this last case… you okay?" she asked him with concern laced in her words.

"I just wish all cases ended like this one had you know?" he asked her and she chuckled, a sad chuckle.

"We fight demons, and when cases like these happen, well that's when we are reminded of why we do what we do handsome, because once in a while we save that one that if not for God's grace, or whatever you want to believe in, wouldn't have been saved," she whispered to him and a sense of kinship fell over him. It wasn't often when a woman could relate to him in a significant other way and see his professional world at the same time.

"Pen, I am at your beck and call … so when you are ready, call me," and after a goodbye they hung up and he drove to the station where he finished his paperwork.

NYPD Crime Lab  
11:53 am

Don Flack walked down the hall ready to leave the building when Jo came out of her office and smiled when her eyes landed on him. He knew that she was close to his Pen, and he knew that he was going to hear her "you hurt her I kill you" talk.

"Flack," she called to him with a sassy tone to her voice. She was no Stella, and no one compared her to their old co-worker because the women were like oil and water but he did consider Jo his friend now.

"Danville," he bantered with a smirk on his face, feeling like nothing could bring him down after recalling Penelope telling him she'd stay with him.

"Wipe that shit eating grin off your face. What did you do to Penny? Do you know she is checking out right now? That she has a week off and she was going to spend it here with me but no… after talking to you she is checking out…" she went on which only amplified his grin.

"To stay with me," he told her to which she didn't even listen or if she did it didn't register.

"Maybe I was wrong. I thought you could be good for her after Lynch-" she balked when his words hit her. "She's staying with you?" she asked a smile forming on her lips.

"Who's staying with you?" the once play-boy Messer dug in as more of his friends and co-workers crowded around him.

"Penelope is staying with me," he told them right as his cell phone rang. "Hey gorgeous, you ready for me?" he asked as he walked past the group with a smug look on his face and a surprised one left on his friends.

"I wonder how her body guard will react," Adam quipped as they all watched the blue eyed detective disappear behind the elevator doors.

"He's whipped," Jo said smirking as she crossed her hands across her chest.

"I'm glad for Don," Lindsay said with a dreamy smile on her face; no doubt working a fairytale for her co-worker and her new acquaintance.

Penelope's hotel room  
12:26 p.m

The nagging ringing of the hotel room's phone was driving her crazy.

"I'm coming I'm coming," she muttered as she walked to the phone. "Yeah?" she asked as she stuffed some of her things inside the bag Jo had brought her while she was in the hospital.

"Pen, you take forever… are you ready yet?" the blue eyed detective asked her.

"No no, I'll be right down," she told him and then hung up. She grabbed her bags and winced a little at the strain that put on her arm. She double checked the room and as she was turning around to leave she heard a knock on her door.

"Donnie, I told you I would come down … impatient much?" she teased as she swung it open only to see Derek standing behind it. Her smiled vanished with his next words.

"Baby girl, come home with me," he pleaded with his heart in his eyes.

* * *

**A/N:**

I added a little part about what Derek was thinking in the beginning of the chapter.

I am working on chapter five, here's a little preview of whats to come:

_"Derek, please… not now," she whispered as she exited her room stepping out into the hallway in front of him and dropping her bags._

_"I love you Baby Girl," he told her as he took her hands in his. "Baby I love you. You are my everything silly girl… I can't live without you," he told her and would have continued if not for her finger against his lips._

_ "Don't. I get it. I almost died, but Derek, I don't want to be an afterthought. I want to be loved for me, not for almost losing me," she whispered with tears in her eyes as she picked up her bags and walked away._

If you review, I will send you what will happen after this. I hope my readers won't hate me! :) I hope everyone is still enjoying this as much as I enjoy writing it. I have time off of school so in between writing papers I am attempting to catch up on my stories. I hope everyone eats lots of Turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving!_  
_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own CM or CSI: NY. I wish I did… oh the things I would do to Don Flack or Derek Morgan.  
**Rating: **M (just in case. I'm paranoid LOL)  
**Pairing: **Flack/Garcia  
**Genre: **Romance, Friendship, Case-centered fic for the first few chapters with a bit of characters friendship. NOW RELATIONSHIP-CENTERED!  
**Warnings: **Set during season 6 of Criminal Minds and Season 7 of CSI: NY. Set during episode 7 "Hide Sight" of CSI: NY.  
**Summary: **Unsub is dead. She chose Don. What will happen next?

* * *

**Penelope's hotel room  
12:26 p.m**

"_Pen, you take forever… are you ready yet?" the blue eyed detective asked her. _

"_No no, I'll be right down," she told him and then hung up. She grabbed her bags and winced a little at the strain that put on her arm. She double checked the room and as she was turning around to leave she heard a knock on her door. _

"_Donnie, I told you I would come down … impatient much?" she teased as she swung it open only to see Derek standing behind it. Her smiled vanished with his next words. _

"_Baby girl, come home with me," he pleaded with his heart in his eyes. _

"Derek, please… not now," she whispered as she exited her room stepping out into the hallway in front of him and dropping her bags.

"I love you Baby Girl," he told her as he took her hands in his. "Baby I love you. You are my everything silly girl… I can't live without you," he told her and would have continued if not for her finger against his lips.

"Don't. I get it. I almost died, but Derek, I don't want to be an afterthought. I want to be loved for me, not for almost losing me," she whispered with tears in her eyes as she picked up her bags and walked away. He stood there dumbfounded as she stepped into the elevator and when the ding of the doors closing snapped him out of his thoughts he ran to the stairs and when he reached the lobby floor he stepped out of the stair doors to see Penelope walking out of the building on the detective's arm. And this time, same as the last time, he watched her walk away. Only this time he knew he had lost her for good.

**Don's Apartment  
1:54 p.m**

"You haven't said anything," he told her as they entered his place. He noticed her intake of breath as she looked around. His place was back to normal, but he was sure the memories were fresh on her mind.

"Derek told me he loved me," she whispered with his back to him and her words somehow punched him in the gut.

"Yeah?" he grunted as he placed her bags down. How could he have been so stupid to think she'd be free to be with him?

"He wanted me to go home with him," she confessed as she turned to face him. "But Don, I can't go home with someone who only realized he loved me because he almost lost me," he heard her whisper before a soft sob escaped her lips. Within seconds he was in front of her holding her against his chest.

"Pen, I … you are strong, beautiful, quick-witted… how could you not see how he finally realized that he loved you? I don't blame him, I fell a little bit in love with you the moment I heard your voice on the phone with your quirky comebacks," he told her and he felt her pull back and look up at him.

"I chose to stay because… I feel something for you… I can't explain it," she whispered and that was all it took for Don to lean down and captures her lips with his.

"I'm glad you chose to stay," he whispered as he smoothed her hair and looked into her eyes. "I wish you didn't have to go in a couple of days though," he added wistfully.

"Quantico is only five hours away, and if we want this to work…" she said as she played with the collar of his suit without meeting his gaze.

"I'd drive cross country, hell I'd walk it if you were at the end of that Pen," he told her with his smirk.

"Since when are you such a romantic Donnie?" she teased as she leaned up to kiss him.

"You have that affect on me woman," he told her as he grabbed her bags once again and took them into his bedroom.

"What, I'm sleeping with you now?" she asked suggestively as she leaned against his doorway.

"Now Miss Garcia," he drawled out with a smirk, "I don't know how it is back in Quantico, but being an Italian gentleman, I like to court my women before taking them to bed."

That earned him a belly laugh, such a beautiful sound if you asked him making him go to her and wrap his arms around her.

"No Penelope, you will take my bed and I'll be in the living room. You are my guest and I want to give you 5 star service," he told her as he kissed her neck.

"You treat all your guests this way?" she asked breathlessly.

"Just you techy… just you. Now come on," he said going against his every need to continue where they were going "I owe you dinner and then a movie." She giggled and walked behind him towards the kitchen.

**October 11, 2010  
Police Station  
2:34 pm**

Penelope worked on the computed the NYPD set up for her in order to help Flack on his latest case. A shooter killing off people randomly. If that didn't scare her she didn't know what would. She wanted to stay locked away in Don's arms until they caught this guy, only thing was that Donnie had to be on the case. She was worried, but she knew this was part of his job description. Hell, it could be her job description if it wasn't for her boss protecting her by keeping her in the office. As she was lost in her musings Don's voice penetrated her train of thought as he spoke to Jo.

**Don's POV**

"Hey Jo, Pen has searched the ins and outs of both women and still no connection," he told his coworker. "We'll keep looking but I can't promise anything," then hung up and looked over at the redhead who was focused on the computer screen. He placed his hands on her shoulders and began to message them to have her thank him with a small moan.

"Thanks for helping us out. With brass on our ass we need as much help as we can get," Detective Flack told Penelope as she twirled around on the chair and smiled up at him.

"Anything for you handsome," she teased him. "Plus, I love to be of service," she told him as she stood up and he came up to her and wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to kiss her slowly.

"I'll take advantage of your services while I still have you around," he told her huskily oblivious to his coworkers staring at them.

"Don, people are staring," she whispered with a playful smirk on her face.

"Let them see how you have me wrapped around your pinky already Pen," he told her as his face sobered as he cupped her face and just took her in. "I've fallen in love with you Penelope Garcia."

**A/N:**

Horrible ending right?

Don't worry, I've been doing that to all my other stories.

I promise to make it up to you with coming chapters. I am debating whether or not to have either Penelope or Don move to where the other is… I'm not sure yet… ideas?

Let me know how you liked this chapter... review please


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